I love my son

“When I see David Blaine, I will say hello to him for you” I half jokingly told Samuel, the amateur card magician, my son, the day before I flew off to New York. Did I really believe that I would meet up with the world-renowned street magician and endurance artist? Not in a million chance would I have the opportunity to meet David Blaine in New York. But I half wish that it would happen. Sam and I used to watch David Blaine’s card magic on TV. We both enjoyed watching him doing street magic to entertain the crowd and also some of the ‘pushing to the limits’ endurance stunts. David Blaine is a unique person who is out to prove something to the world. He has a message to tell the world.

Imagine my joy when I read in the New York Post that David Blaine will be in Manhattan Central Park. He will be hung upside down for 60 hours, which medically is impossible for his body to endure. The pressure will be so enormous that he would go blind. I told my friends that I would be going to Central Park to get his signature for my son. It so happened that there were no classes on Wednesday, the day where David Blaine supposed to end his stunt and take the ‘dive of death’ at 11pm. I joined the long queue just to take a photo and signature of David Blaine. I did it for Sam. Its kind of silly, an oriental man in his 50s taking a digital camera in the crowd of mostly youngsters, wanting a photo with David Blaine. It was a sunny day, quite hot on that mid morning; I patiently waited for my turn.

My Philippines course mates were wondering why I was so eager and determined to get David Blaine’s signature. “You mean you did this for your son?” They were obviously touched by what I did for my son. I told them that this meant a lot to Sam and he would really be thrilled.
“Hi, David, My son Sam says hello to you. He is also a card magician.” I unashamedly greeted David Blaine with those words. “Urgh, urgh…” David was groaning. I could see his face was reddened with blood pressure.

I got a photo taken with David Blaine and also I got him to pen his signature on a card signing upside down.

Later that night I watched live telecast on David’s ‘dive of death’ at Central Park. The TV also showed some of his stunts that he did previously. David shared about his life story and what he said caught my attention. When interviewed who influenced him the most, David unhesitatingly mentioned the name of his mum. “My mum taught me two things: First, if I put my mind to do anything, I could achieve it. Second, she taught me unconditional love.” Probably his mum’s teaching had shaped his philosophy of life. David constantly pushes himself to the limits in those stunts that he did that no one would dare to do. “If you make up your mind to do anything, you can achieve it.”

David was found doing card magic’s to cheer the victims of Katrina Hurricane. He was also giving away money through his magic to the destitute. Could it be that he who has experienced unconditional love is now able to show it to others. David often does his magic to strangers in order to bring cheers to them. He likes to make people happy through surprises that came from the art of magic.

That Sunday I heard Dr. Tim Keller preached on the Parable of the Lost Son. How the father ran to his wayward, scoundrel son threw his arms around him and kissed him. It was so undignified for an elderly Middle East father to pull up his long dress and ran. This younger son who had taken his share of the inheritance and spent it all on wild living. The father threw a party to welcome his home coming without a word of rebuke. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ SO they began to celebrate. The father showed his son grace and unconditional love. His son wanted to be treated as his father’s hired servant. But to his father he has never ceased to be his son no matter how wayward he had become.

The parable reveals God as a heavenly Father to us. We are more loved by God than we ever realized.

I love my son, Sam. But I can never outdo God’s love. The extent I go to show my love for Sam is nothing compared to what God did for us.

The Unforgettable Night

Listening to Frances Hesselbein’s keynote address was most refreshing. Frances Hesselbein, (Chairman & Founding President Leader to Leader Institute & Former CEO, and Girl Scouts of the USA) a diminutive and frail looking woman spoke gently and yet with authority at the podium. She challenged the Christian leaders of New York City who gathered at the Launch Dinner of The New York City Leadership Center to lead the city with courage, integrity and mercy. She embodies the spirit of volunteerism and summons leaders to give their time, energy, creativity and talents to be volunteers to serve society. Hesselbein was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor, in 1988. She was also the Founding President of the Drucker Foundation. The audience gave a standing ovation at the end of her speech. This is the woman who walks the talk. She had led the Girl Scouts of the USA from 1976-1990. She took over the helm of the Girl Scouts movement as Chief Executive Officer when it was fast declining in numbers. She was able to bring the movement forward and did so with much courage and wisdom.

Hessebein had neither led an academia or big corporation. Leadership is, as far as she is concerned, expressing oneself through one’s character. The late Peter Drucker spoke admiringly of her: “This is one woman who knows what she is called to do and where she is going. She will not deviate from her calling.” She does her work with excellence, courage and wisdom. She was a volunteer and probably was not paid to do her job.

The moment Marie Barlow Martin stepped forward to sing a repertoire of Broadway songs; the audience was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice. You could hear a pin dropped on the floor. Marie is an international singer who has performed before hundreds of thousands in over 30 countries for theatres, orchestras and churches with a voice described as a “national treasure.” She responded to God’s call recently and left her very successful career living in Manhattan as a musical theater singer and actress in the Broadway community to begin a music ministry with her husband Gordy. She felt that she could express her faith more fully now than ever before. I was simply bowed over by her voice.

I was not supposed to be there at the dinner event. I was invited by RCPC as a guest and it came as a surprise. Listening to these two outstanding women, one through speech and the other through songs, both equally compelling and forceful, not by brute strength but by sheer elegance of their character, commitment and courage, I knew God showed up that night.

Outside the Marriot Hotel, thousands of New Yorkers have to go through nights of uncertainties. Many lost their jobs because Wall Street stock market suffered its biggest fall since 9/11. There were groans, howling, moans as many lost their lifesavings. Outside the Manhattan headquarters of Lehman Brothers Holding Inc., Geoffrey Raymond, a 54-year-old Brooklyn artist urged passers-by to sign his latest work, a painting of the bankrupt investment bank’s chief executive, Richard Fuld. New Yorkers filled the canvas from edge to edge with comments about greed and comeuppance. He was paid handsomely as CEO but the lack of character led to his downfall.

It was an unforgettable night for many.

“Leadership is simply an expression of what one does through his or her character” – the wisdom of Frances Hasselbein rings loud and clear.

Gospel DNA

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a mega church with 5000 members in its multiple services. The worship services are traditional and contemporary depending which service one attends. I found that both traditional and contemporary worship services of RPC convey the sense of the worth and beauty of God through thoughtful liturgy, kingdom-centered prayer, Christ-centered preaching and joyful music. The worshippers are not particularly expressive type. Given the intellectual culture of Manhattan and the professorial style of preaching by Dr.Tim Keller, Redeemer church naturally attracts the professionals, the academia, and the college students who appreciate content rich sermons. It is not a Charismatic church and yet the growth is phenomenon.
I interviewed a few members of the church to find out what made them want to come to RPC and the consistent answer I got is this: “Tim Keller’s sermons touch our lives. Redeemer has a balance gospel ministry. The church is able to reach out to secular people. RPC knows how to engage the culture without condemning the evilness of the culture.”

So what is the real secret?

Tim Keller is able to make the truth of the gospel clear and real. His expository preaching consistently shows how all Biblical themes climax in Christ and his work of salvation. His teaching on the gospel of grace is a death blow to legalism, moralism and relativism. If gospel is clearly preached, the church will not produce self-righteous, judgmental, self-centered Christians.

Secularism tends to make people selfish and individualistic. Religion and moralism in general tends to make people parochial and self-righteous.

But the gospel however humbles and affirms us at the same time, since in Christ, we are simul iutus et peccator. In the oft repeated famous phrase of Tim Keller “At the same time, we are more flawed and sinful than we ever dared believe, yet we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope” Such gospel truth moves people to holiness (not legalistic, pharisaical self-righteousness type of holiness) and service out of grateful joy for grace, and out of love of the glory of God for who he is in himself.

RPC has a ministry called Diaconate where the deacons and deaconesses carry out the ministry of help and mercy to those needy members in the church so that there are no needy persons among them. The volunteers serve joyfully out of a deep sense of gratitude to God’s redemptive grace in their lives. The artists and musicians convey truth, beauty and excellence in their professions. They express their creativity through music and worship service in such a way that the beauty and worth of God is seen and felt. The members are passionate about justice issues and engage the New York culture with the aim to transform with the power of the gospel.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is certainly impacting Manhattan and other major cities of the world. My 6 weeks here with Redeemer Church Planting Center will certainly be and has already been a life and ministry transforming experience for me.

God in his graciousness has given me this exposure to see how Tim Keller builds that kind of church that impact and influence the culture of cities and nations.

CDPC already share many aspects of the DNA of Redeemer Church. We need a united and strong team who share the same vision to take CDPC to another level.

The three men who influenced me

Looking back the last three decades, I could see the unseen hand of God moulding my life for his purpose. He used three men in different periods to shape me to become the kind of person that God wants me to be. I am grateful to them and thankful to God.

Dr. David G, a protestant, was my first ‘boss’ in church. He was the first church leader I worked closely when I came back from UK. He had helped to shape my spirituality and mission consciousness. He demonstrated quiet and gentle leadership, no less impactful in Christian ministry than charismatic and forceful leadership. One does not need to be platform leadership and yet can be greatly used by God. His love for mission is infectious. He loves mission because he loves the God of mission. He taught me consistency and resilience. He was a skillful dentist.

Chong Nik Seow, a Catholic, was my boss in engineering department when I started my first job. He showed me how as an uncorrupted government servant, one could be a blessing to contractors. He taught me thoroughness and meticulousness in engineering work without which it could have serious consequences. He did his work well and set high standard. He was a skillful engineer.

Dr. Chuck Lowe, my lecturer in SBC and now a good friend. He taught me exegesis. He is a first rate theologian. He is skillful as an exegete of God’s word. After having served God in Singapore for 16 years, he moved back to USA and settled down in Boston and worked as a pastor in a Chinese Church. Travelling 23 hours in the plane was tiring but the confined space and enforced time gave me the opportunity to reminisce 30 years of my life to Sarah. I outlined the three periods and the influence of these three great men in my life as the plane sped on at 960km/hr. Having landed and collected our luggage at the baggage conveyor belt, I saw a man from a distant walking toward me, instantly I recognized him. Balding, putting on weigh, Chuck looks more like a business man than a pastor-theologian. The last time when we gave him the farewell was 8 years ago. This is the man who imparted the skill of exegesis. He reinforced further what Chong Nik Seow had done the significance of thoroughness and meticulousness. This is amply seen in my research. We had great time talking. We talked about church works, we discussed theology, and we ate Tuscanini ice cream which is better than Haagen Dazs ice cream. We walked for more than one hour just to look for the Tuscanini ice cream (because I told him that Haazgen Das is the best ice cream). New York Time declared that Tuscanini is the best ice cream in the world.

All these three men share common traits: hardworking, good workers, thoroughness, skillful in their trades, great love for God, uncorrupted, men of integrity, faithful men, and willingness to impart skills…

I am indebted to these three men.

Time with Sarah

I took four days off from work to spend undistracted time with my daughter Sarah who came back for her summer holidays. One of the things I enjoy most is listening and talking to her. We both have the same temperament or rather she is the chip of the old block. Sarah is a good listener and I find that she possesses the rare gift of giving a person her full presence when one talks to her. That is why many love to talk to her because they can unload their problems to an exceptionally good listener. She makes you feel important and feel that you are worth listening to. In just nine months in Calvin College reading English Literature, she has grown intellectually and spiritually. She is a good conversationalist as her knowledge has been broadened and deepened through American education system. Listening to her gives me great pleasure and satisfaction.

Sarah and Sam get along extremely well. They can talk for hours. They often tell us that they are having ‘deep conversation.’ It’s a joy to see the sister and brother enjoying each other’s company immensely. This sibling close relationship is also a gift from God. Constance and I have been spared from the heartaches of sibling rivalry and fights between Sarah and Sam. Sam truly admires and loves his sister dearly and deeply. Sarah cares a great deal for her brother. She genuinely enjoys Sam's creativity and fun-loving nature.

We went to BORDERS, a book room which is like heaven to us. Sarah shares my keen interest in reading. When we reached the place, she headed straight to the literature section while I made my way to the religion corner. We knew exactly what we wanted. With stacks of books in our hands, the cashier at the counter was beaming with broad smile. It was a sheer pleasure to buy books for Sarah as she seldom made demand on me.

I told her to walk gingerly when we made our way through the front door of our house. I thought Constance will give us a shelling for going overboard. I have spent my entire holiday money on buying books. To my surprise Constance was rather cheery. Sarah seems to have a way with her mum. It is very difficult for anyone to be angry with Sarah. She is an obedient daughter, thoughtful and considerate, a straight ‘A’ student since primary one and with the GPA score of 3.96 for the first year in college, how would any parent be unhappy. She is very pleasant to live with and makes us look good as parents.

This morning I became her chauffeur taking her to her former school and to 1 Utama to meet up with her friends. She visited her students whom she taught during her gap year. They were fond of her and her visit warmed their hearts. How many teachers border to visit their students and show their love? She counseled and encouraged a student who is going though family crisis. She is unselfish with her time and incarnational with her touch. She remembers her schoolmates and initiated to meet up. The little gesture reveals that Sarah treasures friendship. Such qualities endear her to many.

I treasure this father-daughter relationship. It’s a gift from God.

The church will celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday. My heart is already filled with joy as we spent quiet moment reminiscing many fond memories. Sarah is flourishing and blooming as a person. What greater joy can it be than seeing your daughter walking with God and blossoming with great potentials.

The Story of Dr. Margaret Brand

When I saw the title of the book “Vision for God – The Story of Dr. Margaret Brand” I did not need any persuasion at all to purchase the book. Dr. Paul Brand was well known internationally as a 20th century pioneer in orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation. He had spent the bulk of his life in India helping the lepers and giving them the sense of dignity. He opened the new frontier in discovering pain as a gift from God and applied that knowledge in aiding the lepers from further aggravating their hands and feet. Much accolade had been heaped on him for his achievement in the field of leprosy. What is less known is his equally capable and remarkable wife who has been his companion for over 60 years. In the midst of World War II, Margaret studied medicine in London. She topped the class with Paul Brand as second. They both pioneered practices in the treatment of leprosy in India and throughout the world. Almost by accident, without formal training in eye diseases, she became an ophthalmologist and one of the foremost authorities in the field of ocular leprosy. Reading the book and watching DVD featuring her work among the lepers in India, I was spellbound. With great skills and compassion, Paul and Margaret Brand had accomplished the rare medical feat of treating and loving patients simultaneously.

Without Margaret, Paul Brand would not have become the great surgeon and the great man of God. She worked alongside him in an obscure village in India for years. Both worked in astounding partnership and yet each other’s individuality is not negated.

I like what Philip Yancy, a close friend of theirs, said: “Having spent many hours with them both, I cannot help but think that this was the vision of God for humanity: talented people serving others with cheer and compassion while embracing life-all of it- with contentment and gratitude.”

I silently prayed that my children Sarah and Samuel who are both talented and capable would one day turn out to be the kind of woman and man who serve others with cheer and compassion while embracing life – all of it- with contentment and gratitude. It is a road less traveled. When talents are used to amass wealth for oneself to live opulent and self-centered lifestyle, he or she cheapened the grace of God.

The untouchables of India who had been treated and loved by Paul and Margaret Brand saw in their lives the image of Christ. The gospel that Paul and Margaret preached and lived was easily understood and readily embraced by the lepers. The rejects of the society had encountered Christ through the skillful hands and the loving touch of these surgeons.

I am so glad that Dr. Margaret’s story is told at last.

Equally Smart

Supriano, an Orang Asli (Aborigines of Malaysia) was disorientated when she came in to my church office. She is only 10 year-old and has never been to Kuala Lumpur. She has never seen so many cars and tall buildings in her life. I was equally disoriented as I was lost in the jungle where there seems to be no sign post. Just as I was terrified by the ‘roads’ which nearly wrecked Kok Wai’s 4-wheel drive, Supriano was awed by the modern technology.

We were on a rescue mission in the morning to a remote village in the interior jungle. Kok Wai’s jeep skidded and bumped on the protruding rock. When I saw Supriano, I could see in her face a bright aborigines girl. What surprises me was that she could speak fluent Mandarin! Later I learnt that she is attending a Chinese school in a Chinese village. My two children, Sarah and Sam can’t even speak Mandarin although they are of Chinese descent. Supriano has been looking after her infant brother (4 month-old) who is abandoned by his parents. He has no name, no birth certificate, and no identity. Supriano scavenged milk from women folks of her kind. What she got was not enough to feed her brother. So she fed him with coffee and tea. The infant was reduced to only bone and skin. The infant’s father is an Indonesian and his mother is an Orang Asli. I decided to give him a name. The word ‘Suparman’ floated in my mind. I have an Indonesian friend whose name is Suparman. It sounded like Superman. Indeed Suparman is a Superman as weighing 2.1 kg yet he survived under harsh condition imposed upon him. Though he goes down in history as the most malnourished infant in Malaysia, he also sets the record as the fittest infant. Drenched in rain water, bitten by mosquitoes, burned by cigarette butts, Suparman rejected and discarded by his biological parents but was superintended by his Maker. The pediatrician who examined him remarked that she has never seen such a malnourished baby in Malaysia. In her clinic many mothers were waiting for their turns to take their babies for round of examination. The babies were safe in the arms of their mothers, well fed and looking heavy and healthy. What a contrast.

Supriano absented herself from school for several months. There was a divine call to save a feeble life. She fiercely protected her brother from hunger and thirst in the jungle. She was ostracized by her mother and grandfather. She detested their cruelty. I could see that in her eyes. Without knowledge of health care, hygiene, feeding infant, Supriano has an innate instinct to care for her brother.

It was a long day, a tiring journey running from one clinic to another, from one town to the other and finally Suparman is temporary fostered by a Sabahan pastor whose wife is an Orang Asli. Supriano followed Sarah and I home for a few days.

Constance, my wife spent 3 days teaching her Maths and found her to be intelligent. Sarah is like a big sister to her and showers her with affection. Supriano was clutching the two beautiful sling- on bags that Sarah gave her. Her smile exudes happiness of having found the gems of her life. Supriano will remember Sarah for a long long time. We discovered that Supriano delights to go to the wash room. She often remained there for a long time. Inside the wash room is a big mirror. Constance had bought her a few blouses and she looks pretty. Perhaps she has never seen herself in full portrait before in the mirror. We don’t mind to adopt her but its not possible.

Constance told Supriano to come again and stay with us during the school holidays. We have invited her and her friends to come and Constance will conduct some tuition for them. We believe that Supriano would one day go to Harvard or Oxford, Cambridge University if given the opportunity. She has the intelligence endowed by her Creator who gives freely and equally. It’s the political environment and educational policy that limits them from achieving their full potential.

I am so proud of Kok Wai, Sue May, Jocelyn and the Orang Asli team of CDPC. Their compassion, dedication, and sacrifices have gone a long way to help Orang Asli children to be as educated as any bright Malaysian children in the main stream society.

Change one life, one at a time. Supriano has shown us the way.